On Sunday, August 16, 2015 at 9:06:55 AM UTC-7, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> spamtr... wrote:
> >>>> Normally I boil rose potatoes for potato salad, but there were none
> >>>> to be found last week. So these were mill-run red potatoes. I set
> >>>> the water boiling as I scrubbed them and dug out the eyes. When the water
> >>>> boiled I chucked them in.
>
> That's your first mistake... ALWAYS START POTATOES IN COLD WATER!
> Otherwise their exteriors will over cook while the interiors are still
> uncooked.
*rolls eyes* Do you start your baking potatoes in a cold oven as well?
If not, why not? Doesn't the same outside-cooks-before-the-inside
phenomenon take place?
But his is an imaginary problem with red potatoes. If this
were a real concern, the center of the potato would always be colder,
and thus the exteriors would always over cook while the interiors
were still uncooked, even if you started with ice water.
To solve this imaginary problem, the potatoes would all have to be
sliced before cooking, instead of after.
But the main problem with starting in cold water is that the potatoes
in the bottom of the pot will cook before the ones on the top (furthest
from the burner).
>
> >>>> They were done after 30 some minutes, so I drained and peeled them.
> >>>> To my surprise, the stem ends of almost all of them had acquired an
> >>>> unpleasant black hue. I cut them off, but why?
>
> I'd like to know how you discern the stem end of potatoes... I just
> looked at a dozen spuds and I can't find a stem end. The black
> interior is a potato disease, was there before cooking and has not a
> whit to do with the elusive stem end.
> http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/path_team/potato.htm
None of those -- with Janet's clue I looked it up. It's called ACD,
and could come from the action of the minerals in the water and the
balance of two acids in the potato. Or the potatoes might have been
stored below 40F.
>
> >>> You cook them and then peel them???? Most people peel them first and
> >>> then cook them.
>
> Depends on the kind of potato and how used; with large russets for
> mashing or roasting I peel and cut so all pieces are the same size so
> they cook evenly... with waxy thin skinned/new potatoes I leave the
> skins on to retain flavor and and either leave unpeeled or peel after
> cooled... for hot potato salad most of the skin falls away with
> slicing.
I peel them because of the texture difference.